Cheap Seats
Today’s gratuitous shot at Greg Norman
Columnist Art Spander of the Oakland Tribune thinks, for the time being, Mr. Masters should be called, “The Great White Sardine.”
Exhibit A, Plan B
Video evidence was sought when a disciplinary hearing investigated the ejection of Edmundo, the bad boy of Brazilian soccer, after he had hit a Santos defender in the face.
His club, Corinthians, said a tape of the incident would exonerate him. Then the club took the wrong tape to the hearing. Instead of watching the game, the committee saw the adventures of the cartoon dog Scooby Doo.
That’s what happens when you set the VCR in a hurry and Court TV and the Cartoon Network are next to each other on the cable dial.
No beans and franks, I’m catching today
The reviews are still coming in on Joe Torre as manager of the Yankees, who are off to a so-so start. Newsday’s Jon Heyman reports that Torre is probably easier to play for than Buck Showalter, at least.
“The atmosphere is so much nicer,” said Jim Leyritz, whose outlook often depends on his playing time.
Leyritz likes it that Torre informs reserves when they’ll play, unlike Showalter, whose lineup card sometimes was completed around 7:34. “Before, everything was hush-hush,” Leyritz said. “It’s nice when you leave the park on Monday and know you’re going to be playing Tuesday.”
This idea comes from Torre’s playing days. He liked to know whether he was catching or playing first base because he would eat accordingly. Corned beef hash was OK for first base but not for squatting, he found.
Getting that Game Face on
Jerry Spessard got hit in the face with a baseball 34 years ago. He never forgot the pain or the confidence he lost that day.
His solution is a protective plastic mask called Game Face that the national Little League organization plans to test this summer.
“I got hit in the nose,” the 46-year-old insurance agency owner said. “It ruined me. I was never the same player after that.”
His device combines an eye shield, nose guard and chin guard in a unit secured with an adjustable head strap. Horizontal bands of hard plastic protect the player’s face. Some 150 Game Faces will be tested by Little League teams in Maryland, California, Illinois and Williamsport, Pa., but the early reviews are mixed.
“It makes me feel like a Power Ranger,” said 7-yearold David Vinson Jr.
We deliver for you
Blue Jays catcher Charlie O’Brien, who played for the Braves last year, finally got his World Series ring delivered to the clubhouse by United Parcel Service last week. “The UPS guy made a very nice presentation,” O’Brien deadpanned.
Oh, and the World Series check is in the mail, Charlie.
The last word …
“He’s like one of those guys who, when a bus crashes, gets on to get the insurance money.”
- Nets forward Jayson Williams, on the dubious injury absence of teammate Kevin Edwards
, DataTimes